The Ministry of Health and Prevention (MoHAP) is joining world countries in marking World Cancer Day, observed on 4 February to raise awareness of cancer and to encourage its prevention, detection, and treatment.
In this context, the Ministry exchanged information and experiences on the best health awareness programs to fight cancer and encouraged and supported studies and research to achieve continuous development of prevention, medical care, and treatment strategies.
The UAE is one of the leading countries in terms of the health services provided to cancer patients, taking into account that the cancer prevalence rate in the UAE is still lower than its prevalence in the world.
Last year, MoHAP revealed that the rate of cancer awareness among community members was about 58% based on the outcomes of the national E-survey to assess public awareness of cancer in the country, which was in Arabic and English.
Awareness campaigns
As part of its strategy to reduce the rate of cancer in the UAE according to the national indicator included in the objectives of the National Agenda, MoHAP has launched health programs and campaigns to prevent cancer and has activated national cancer control programs as a joint responsibility between government and private sectors.
The UAE has also promoted health education on the risk factors for cancer and the signs and symptoms of the disease through media, social networking, smart applications, community awareness programs. This is in addition to carrying out health education programs in schools and universities in order to raise awareness of cancer.
Ongoing efforts
"Over the past two years, the ministry has continued cancer awareness health campaigns for the target groups through audio-visual media, in addition to harnessing technological capabilities to reach the largest possible segment of society," said HE Dr. Hussain Abdul Rahman Al Rand, Assistant Undersecretary for the Public Health Sector. "The Ministry has also shown great responsibility towards cancer patients by taking strict precautionary measures, to maintain the health of patients and medical teams, as well as to provide a safe environment encouraging individuals to visit health facilities for their periodic examinations to raise the recovery rate.